Resignation from a job

[RTSDaddy2]

OK, had a job I was happy with, then I got an even better job, and both were part time at different times of the day.  Was perfectly ok with that, planned initially to stay at both.  However, the BETTER job offered me a full-time position, and at the same time the other job never really materialized.  Enough said on that.

My question: I resigned from the first job last night via email letter, giving two weeks notice, etc. I kept it very professional and asked for a letter of reference at the end of it.  Having not resigned from a job before (ok, when I was 18, I quit Macy's after two days  ), does the employer legally have to acknowledge the letter and my request?  If so, how long should I wait to hear from them?  To this point, I've received no reply.

Also, if they do not respond, does that mean that I am still legally their employee? Put more clearly, if she doesn't accept it, can she then turn around and fire me even though I sent a letter? God, that sounds stupid, but I honestly don't know how the law looks at that.  And YES, I know she can't force me to work for her....but I also want to know if she can fire me if she waits two weeks then says "You're fired," even though she never provided work for me to do within a reasonable time period.

[AtomSmasher]

No idea on the majority of your questions, but I do know that unless it's somewhere in your contract (which seems unlikely since your part-time) two weeks notice is just a courtesy your giving to the employer and not something your legally required to do.  When I quit my last job, I only worked for a week after I quit since we mutually decided that worked for us both.

Personally, quitting is something I would always do in person, but then I've always worked for smaller, non-corporate type businesses.  IMO, if you don't hear back from them soon, then you should either stop in and talk to them, or at the very least give them a phone call.

[RayB]

How huge is this company? In my opinion the email or letter is just a formal legal thing to do (your paper trail), but then how about just popping into your supervisor's office and saying "hi, did you receive my email?"

[Vigo]

OK, I'm a pseudo HR guy, so I know a bit about this, but terminations is not my day-in-day out job. I'll give my best stab at this, but I know a number of states have special laws regarding employment that could possible be a factor depending on where you live.

Basically put, you are not obligated to work at a job, you could walk out last minute, and there would be no real difference. The 2 weeks thing is just a standard courtesy that employers are socially expected to honor. There are exceptions where you can't leave right away, especially with jobs that safety are a issue if you would quit. There are also contractual obligations, but i doubt that comes into play with many part time jobs. No matter what, you should be paid to the last minute that you work, and be awarded any other benefits that may have been promised to you in cases where you quit (like vacation time off compensation).

With the 2 week thing being courtesy, they technically can say you are fired last minute, and some rotten employers companies do that. They can run into trouble in cases of employment lawsuits and unemployment claims. The minute a judge gets wind that the company may be fraudulent in its documentation, everything defaults to the claimant. Companies who don't honor resignations just end up getting bit in the ass. No matter what, you may want to keep paper documentation of your resignation and any issues that could occur if your boss is a jerk. If something happens, see if you can get a statement from a co-worker, or anything that could help you out.

Overall though, this might not be an issue if it is a larger company. And if your boss makes a deal about it, you can get it resolved through HR, but you do want to get it resolved in case a future employer does a past employment check. Also, Make sure to follow-up on your end with your boss, HR cares about what you did on your part to resign. If you see your boss every day, you should stop in, because I am betting that they want just to talk about it. Personally, I would never resign via email to my boss, because she doesn't read her email. Other bosses pretty much only communicate via email, but I don't know your case. No matter what, HR should be able to correct your record to a voluntary termination, but the "rehire status" is kinda a key thing for terminations in the HR world, and that is why the follow up with your boss is important.

[Ed_McCarron]

you may want to keep paper documentation

Hell's no.  You WILL want to keep paper documentation.  CYA.  CYA.  CYA.

It's a shame, but in todays world -- no one is out for anyone but themselves.

[danny_galaga]

A resignation letter is not something I would ever want to email, for the reasons you are finding now. Did they get it? What do they think? Is it ok? I think it's better to print it out and hand it in.

[javeryh]

You should always resign from a job in a face-to-face meeting with your boss.  If I were you I'd have a talk with him or her as soon as possible so you can work out the details of your departure (last day, final paycheck, etc.).  Good luck.

[CCM]

A resignation letter is not something I would ever want to email, for the reasons you are finding now. Did they get it? What do they think? Is it ok? I think it's better to print it out and hand it in.

+1


Never resign via email.  Take you resignation letter, nut-up, and resign in person.

[ChadTower]

+1

Never resign via email.  Take you resignation letter, nut-up, and resign in person.

+2

You can't resign electronically and expect a reference letter at the same time.  I would not give such a letter to a part time employee who resigned via email and never followed up (assuming a face to face is physically possible).  For all you know that email is sitting in a spam filter or email-ruled off to a folder and never got read.

[ChadTower]

You don't need a boss' involvement at a corporate employer to verify employment.  They do that via HR and often have a specific phone number just for employment verifications.

[Vigo]

There are always bosses that you genuinely need to resign via email though. If you have a boss that is out of the office, more than in, or if you have a boss that works "In the Field".

Not to mention some bosses are so off the wall, that you would rather jab a screwdriver in your cranium than sit down to talk with. Although those are the bosses you don't get (or even want) a reference letter from. Hell, I think with my boss, I would only feel comfortable resigning via twitter.

I'm not saying that this is the case, but I am just being the nice guy and assuming that the may be a reason behind resigning via email.

[ChadTower]

There are always bosses that you genuinely need to resign via email though. If you have a boss that is out of the office, more than in, or if you have a boss that works "In the Field".

Second option is telephone.  Email is last resort.  Resignation should be as "in person" as possible if you care at all about your professional reputation and references.

[shmokes]

I think you're letting your imagination run wild and it's making you stress about nothing.  This lady hasn't responded because she doesn't give a ---steaming pile of meadow muffin---.  Stop fretting and just give her a call.  You are building up some big confrontation in your head and that's exactly where this hypothetical confrontation begins and ends.  Just pick up the phone and give her a call.  Say, "Hey so-and-so.  I just wanted to make sure you got my letter of resignation.  I hope it doesn't leave you in a bind, but I suppose it doesn't since my position didn't seem to be materializing anyway."  She's just gonna be like, "Oh, hi RTS.  Yeah, I got it.  Thanks.  I appreciate you sending that over.  I've been meaning to send you a response, but I've been really busy.  A letter of recommendation?  Sure . . . why don't you write something up and I'll look it over and make any changes and sign it."

The thing is . . . I don't have the impression that this lady has any reason to ---fudgesicle--- with you.  She probably hasn't given you a second thought since reading your letter.  And . . . well . . . this is the 21st century.  You're not her serf.  She understands that you got a better job.  I'm sure she has quit jobs before.  It's just not a big deal.  You're gonna give yourself ulcers inventing nonsense things to lay awake at night worrying about.

[drventure]

+1 what shmoakes said as well as all the other comments about resigning in person. Email's great for somethings, but not this.

Oh well, though. What's done is done. Go talk to the appropriate person face to face as soon as possible. Keep it polite. Say what happened, but try not to talk too much (as there's no point, and it just prevents you from saying something you might regret).

And then move on, no reason to worry over it.

[RTSDaddy2]

Ok, let's start with the letter of reference. Jim & others, basically I was just hoping that she would write a friendly letter of reference saying that I did what I was asked to do, which was very little, for the 8 weeks or so I devoted to the company.  You must understand that I was one of 8 people on the staff, and that with the exception of the boss herself, who is rarely available via phone,  I knew no one.  I didn't hear anything from anybody for well over a month prior to resigning, except an occasional phone call from the boss.

The letter of reference becomes a no issue as I don't know that I would put this company down anyway as having worked for them.  It was a strange situation, and for as much as it seemed right at the time, after about four weeks, things changed drastically.

There's much I won't go into here, but while I may call her this week to make sure she received my resignation, I don't feel I owe her a personal visit...and I don't think I could stay cordial if I did.  I appreciate the advice, and I will keep it in mind for future reference.

[ChadTower]

I don't feel I owe her a personal visit...and I don't think I could stay cordial if I did. 

You're not getting a letter of recommendation.  Confirm that the resignation was received and move on with your life. 

[leapinlew]

8 weeks?

I wouldn't have even made a post here. Heck, I would've sent an email. Resignation via email is acceptable as far as I'm concerned. I really don't know the difference between that and a letter left on the desk.

It's 2010 - you can resign via email. It's still too early to resign via text message though.

[RayB]

8 weeks?

I wouldn't have even made a post here. Heck, I would've sent an email. Resignation via email is acceptable as far as I'm concerned. I really don't know the difference between that and a letter left on the desk.

It's 2010 - you can resign via email. It's still too early to resign via text message though.

I QUIT 2WKS OK? LOL!

[boykster]

8 weeks?

I wouldn't have even made a post here. Heck, I would've sent an email. Resignation via email is acceptable as far as I'm concerned. I really don't know the difference between that and a letter left on the desk.

It's 2010 - you can resign via email. It's still too early to resign via text message though.

+1

I'd rather get it as an email, I'd actually read it.  If someone puts a piece of paper on my desk, I'll likely move it aside to log onto my workstation and ignore it.  Send me an email, and I'll get it day or night no matter where I am and will almost certainly read it.

I do 60-70%% of my work communication via email - I didn't even have a phone at my office for the first 8mos I worked at my current company.  I eventually got one because one of the VP's who worked in california complained she could never get ahold of me on the phone -- because I had a # but no phone! 

[RTSDaddy2]

Well, to close this thread appropriately, it's worth stating that I heard from my former employer via email this week. She did get the letter and was sorry to hear things were not going to work out, but wished me well and told me if I ever need a reference she will give me one

As stated earlier, even if it was to be a good one, on second thought I doubt I would use her as a reference, but anyway....I feel like there's no hard feelings between the two of us, which was my main concern. It was a very polite, professional response. Case closed, moving on.

[Fordman]

My question: I resigned from the first job last night via email letter, giving two weeks notice, etc. I kept it very professional and asked for a letter of reference at the end of it.  Having not resigned from a job before (ok, when I was 18, I quit Macy's after two days  ), does the employer legally have to acknowledge the letter and my request?  If so, how long should I wait to hear from them?  To this point, I've received no reply.

To answer both your questions: No & No (if a U.S.A. resident - worker)

Look in your employee handbook (if they gave you one) and the first line as a condition of employment is you are an "Employee At Will". Meaning you can quit working with/without noitice and they can terminate you with/without notice. Now the company has a few guidlines for termination that they have to follow but they are few and cant be discriminitory.

Also, NO, the company doesnt have to give you a letter of recommendation. When used as a reference while applying for a job, when the new prospective employer calls for verification, legally all the old employer can say is "Yes, they worked here from this time to this time" But we all know they really dont just stop there, the old HR person gives thei 2 cents about you, if they remember you.

Fordman

[Havok]

What the hell? I just got this email from some dude saying he resigns, that he's giving two weeks notice, etc. And then he asked for a letter of reference at the end of it. I don't employ anybody...

[shmokes]

That kid's got moxie.  Give him the letter of reference!

[Vigo]

What the hell? I just got this email from some dude saying he resigns, that he's giving two weeks notice, etc. And then he asked for a letter of reference at the end of it. I don't employ anybody...

The way I see it, you now have an employee for two weeks. Email back and ask him to do random crap for you over these next few weeks and threat that you won't give him a reference letter otherwise. 

[Gray_Area]

What the hell? I just got this email from some dude saying he resigns, that he's giving two weeks notice, etc. And then he asked for a letter of reference at the end of it. I don't employ anybody...

That could be an interesting spam approach.